Keyboard Immortal - Chapter 2957

Chapter 1470 Meeting an Old Friend in a Foreign Land

A beautiful young girl appeared at the city gate, running as she went, her skirt fluttering behind her like butterfly wings.

Perhaps because she was running, stray hairs fell from her temples, and her chubby cheeks were slightly flushed. Paired with her large, watery eyes, she looked incredibly cute and adorable, and everyone in the crowd felt a pang of pity for her.

An old servant followed behind her, panting and calling out, “Fifth Miss, slow down, slow down—”

The powerful figures in the officialdom all recognized the girl as Lu Zhi’s youngest daughter. Lu Zhi had four sons, and this was his only daughter; having a daughter late in life, he naturally cherished her dearly.

It was normal for her to be excited to see her father, but some of the more cunning old foxes in the crowd were secretly puzzled. Why did she seem to look at Liu Bei more than her father?

Zu An also trembled at this moment. Seeing the familiar, adorable girl, he almost shouted out in excitement, but ultimately, reason prevailed.

Lu Zhi, whose face had always been etched with a sorrowful expression, finally changed his demeanor, his eyes filled with joy: “Little Xi, my good girl~”

Then, remembering something, he introduced Zu An: “Xuan De, this is my youngest daughter, Little Xi. When you left the sect, she was probably still an infant. Little Xi, this is your senior brother, Xuan De. I was able to escape this time entirely thanks to Xuan De’s escort.”

“Hello, Little Xi.” Zu An’s eyes flashed with surprise. He hadn’t expected that she would also be called Little Xi in this world, only that she couldn’t have the surname Ji.

The girl also nervously looked him over: “Senior… Senior Brother, hello.”

Looking at that familiar figure, she wanted to recognize him but dared not, afraid that it was just a resemblance and she would be disappointed.

However, she quickly noticed that he secretly winked at her. That familiar feeling was undoubtedly her elder brother Zu. Her eyes immediately curved into crescent moons.

Just then, a rapid sound of hooves and the clanging of armor suddenly came from afar.

The sound of hooves was very dense, not just one or two horses, but a whole group of people.

Wang Yun was the first to stand up, his hand on his sword hilt. His Henan Prefectural Office was nearby, making him highly sensitive to troop movements within Luoyang. He quickly ordered his soldiers to be on alert.

Soon, a cavalry force of several hundred men galloped up, all clad in black iron armor, with red tassels on their heads, wielding long halberds, and carrying ring-pommel swords at their waists.

They quickly dispersed, subtly surrounding the group and blocking all the roads.

The cavalry leader was a general in his thirties, of medium height, with a square face and a short beard. He was Xia Mou, one of the Eight Colonels of the Western Garden, with a rank equivalent to two thousand shi (a unit of grain measurement).

Xia Mou glanced at the group, his gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of Qiao Xuan, Yuan Kui, and others. A slight, insincere smile appeared on his lips. He cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, his voice booming as if deliberately intended for the entire street to hear: “Greetings, Lord Qiao, Grand Tutor Yuan, Wang Henan, and all esteemed gentlemen.”

Though nominally a formality, he did not dismount, his tone arrogant, clearly indicating it was merely a perfunctory act.

A flash of anger crossed Yuan Wei’s face: “Commander Xia, what brings so many soldiers riding through the street?”

“By order of the Grand Eunuch Zhang Rang, I have come to escort the convicted criminal Lu Zhi to the Huangmen North Prison for trial.” Xia Mou said, taking a scroll from his sleeve and unfolding it before the crowd. “This is a warrant from the palace; please take a look.”

Everyone’s expression changed. The Huangmen North Prison was the territory of eunuchs. In previous years, countless scholars had been arrested there and subjected to all sorts of torture. The calamity of the Partisan Proscription was too horrific; who wouldn’t tremble at the mere mention of that name?

Yuan Wei stepped forward, took the scroll, and carefully read it through.

The handwriting on the document was neat, and it bore the seal of the Imperial Secretariat, but he immediately noticed that the seal was half an inch off-center—this was not a document produced through normal procedures, but rather one that someone had taken a blank imperial edict and stamped it with their own seal. He

couldn’t help but sneer and threw the document back: “Commander Xia, this edict comes from the Imperial Secretariat, but Lu Zhi is an official of rank above two thousand shi. According to Han law, he should be sent to the Imperial Prison of the Court of Justice for trial by the Minister of Justice. The Northern Prison of the Yellow Gate is an inner court prison, specifically for the trial of eunuchs. Lu Zhi is an official appointed by the court; how can he be sent to the Northern Prison?”

Xia Mou’s smile froze for a moment, then returned to his ambiguous expression: “Grand Tutor Yuan, you are talking to me about Han law, but I don’t understand it. I only know that this is Marquis Zhang’s edict, and I am only following orders. As for whether it is in accordance with the law, that is a matter for the officials in the court. I am just a military man and cannot concern myself with such matters.”

He raised his hand, and the armored soldiers behind him immediately took a step forward.

“Wait!” Yuan Wei shouted sharply. “Commander Xia, you just said you were acting under orders. Then let me ask you, did this warrant have the countersignature of the Three Dukes? Did it have the signature of the Minister of Justice? Did it go through the proper procedures of the Minister of the Imperial Secretariat affixing his seal?”

Xia Mou’s smile vanished completely. He wasn’t unaware of these rules, but he was Zhang Rang’s man, used to being arrogant in Luoyang. No civil official had ever dared to challenge him so directly. He frowned and placed his hand on his sword hilt: “Grand Tutor Yuan, I respect you as one of the Three Dukes and do not wish to make things difficult for you. But I am bound by duty, and today, Lu Zhi is my target. If anyone tries to stop me, are they trying to test the sharpness of my sword?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the armored soldiers behind him drew their ring-pommel swords in unison, the blades gleaming coldly.

As the emperor’s personal guard, although they numbered only a few hundred, they received a great advantage in the imperial city, their imposing presence like that of a thousand troops.

Although many of the high-ranking officials present were powerful, they were clearly at a disadvantage under the pressure of the opposing army.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from afar: “My sword is not without its weaknesses!”

Another rapid clatter of hooves followed, and a troop of cavalry broke through the blockade of Xia Mou’s army.

This cavalryman was clad in gleaming armor, wielding long spears, and their imposing presence surpassed that of Xia Mou’s men.

Leading them was a young man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, tall and robust, with a handsome face, wearing silver armor and a white robe, a sword at his waist, riding a jet-black steed, exuding charisma and awe-inspiring power.

Xia Mou’s pupils contracted slightly: “Benchu, what brings you here?”

Zu An’s heart skipped a beat. No wonder the style was so different; it turned out to be Yuan Shao, the chosen one of this world.

In the original timeline of history, Yuan Shao’s strength far surpassed Cao Cao’s for the most part, and he was even considered by the world to be the most likely to unify the world. Unfortunately, his arrogance led to his downfall.

Yuan Shao placed his hand on his sword: “Colonel Xia, what a show of power!”

As one of the Eight Schools of the Western Garden, and with the Yuan family having held high office for four generations, plus the presence of various powerful figures in the court, he naturally felt no fear.

Xia Mou’s face flushed red, and the veins on his sword bulged: “Yuan Benchu, don’t think you can act just because your Yuan family is powerful—”

“Act what?” Yuan Shao’s eyes were like ice. “Colonel Xia, the Eight Schools of the Western Garden are the Emperor’s personal guard, protecting the palace and safeguarding the capital. They are not some eunuch’s private army. Today, you led your troops to forcibly arrest a high-ranking official. If word gets out, what will the world think of the Western Garden Army?” “

I have an official warrant from the palace. Everything is in accordance with the law and regulations. On the contrary, are you trying to disobey orders and rebel!” Xia Mou shouted, holding up the document in his hand.

At this moment, Zu An smiled slightly: “General, would you like to see what you are holding?”

Xia Mu was stunned upon seeing it. There was no document in his hand, just a blank yellow imperial edict. Crucially, the edict’s format was clearly different from a genuine one.

Zu An’s face darkened: “If I’m not mistaken, this doesn’t seem to be a real imperial edict. Teacher, what is the crime of forging or falsely transmitting an imperial edict?”

Lu Zhi also smiled slightly: “It’s punishable by the extermination of nine generations of one’s family!”

“What kind of sorcery are you using!” Xia Mu finally panicked.